Several times in the past couple of months, I have had to do what no doctor looks forward to - deliver the diagnosis of cancer.

While the pets afflicted were different in age, breed and residence, they all possessed a common trait. Each was an un-neutered male dog suffering from prostate cancer. While the primary benefit of neutering, permanent prevention of breeding, is quite apparent and well talked about, other benefits of equal importance have taken a back seat or even been forgotten about completely.

Most everyone remembers Bob Barker telling his audience to remember to spay and neuter their pets, but few fully understand the true health benefits within his catch phrase. As in humans, the canine prostate and other tissues of the body are directly affected by the production and/or presence of testosterone and, to a lesser degree, other growth stimulating hormones.

Testosterone, a hormone produced by specific cells in the testicles, is the proposed driving force behind most prostate diseases. Problems include prostate cancer, benign prostate enlargement, prostate infections, and cystic prostate diseases. While the focus here is mainly on the prostate, other tissues including the testicles can fall prey to similar disease processes due to stimulation, or over stimulation, by the same hormones.

Although not limited to intact males, prostate disease has a much higher chance of occurring in those that are un-neutered. While all of the mentioned diseases require specialized procedures and specific pharmaceuticals for diagnosis and treatment, not all are curable.

Prostate cancer has a very high probability of being inoperable because of the location and close proximity to important and fragile structures. Chemotherapy is usually the only option, and is met with mixed feelings and results. Prostate cancer can be metastatic, meaning it can spread to other tissues, which can lead to complicating illnesses in an already diseased individual.

An enlarging prostate, caused by any of the mentioned diseases, can interfere with the normal function of surrounding structures and/or tissues. Dogs afflicted with prostate disease may have difficulty performing common tasks such as urinating and defecating, due to pressure applied by the increasing size of the prostate within the limited space of the pelvic canal.

Signs such as blood in the stool, pain during elimination, constipation and urine retention among other problems, may be detected in those afflicted. These signs may be the reason for presentation to a veterinarian, or may follow after incidental diagnosis during routine examinations. Definitive diagnosis may require diagnostic imaging (such as X-ray and ultrasound), cytology, tissue biopsy or a combination thereof. Treatment can range from oral or injectable pharmaceuticals to chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery.

While treatment or management of prostate disease is typically a long and sometimes grueling process, which in the case of cancer frequently results in the triumph of the disease, the process of performing a neuter procedure is relatively quick and painless in comparison.

Studies and collective medical evidence show that neutering pets will dramatically reduce the chance of the previously mentioned conditions and can save animals from the unnecessary suffering of a potentially preventable situation. Although preventative medicine is commonly accepted and practiced in the form of vaccinations, parasite control measures, and regular health check-ups, the act of neutering has failed to attain the same acceptance with regard to the health benefits received from such a practice. If prevention of dangerous and potentially deadly diseases is performed yearly in the form of annual vaccinations and health check-ups, why not give your pet the same type of health benefit with a single surgical procedure?

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Dr. Jacob Church is a veterinarian at Cedar Lake Pet Hospital in Biloxi, Miss. Questions for this column are encouraged. Write to South Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association, 20005 Pineville Road, Long Beach MS 39560 and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.